News media outlets and comedians alike had a field day following the proposal and passage of a mandate in New York which put a cap on the serving size of sodas and sugary drinks that could be sold in restaurants and movie theaters. While many argue that this government regulation is overly parental, if not unconstitutional, we cannot argue that the rise of obesity and the threat to health and quality of life is a real and pressing issues in U.S. Society.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act also includes a mandate about required nutritional content labeling for all foods in chain restaurants and franchises with more than 20 outlets, and politicians nationwide are pushing for a so called “sin” tax on empty calorie products like sodas.

In response to all the commotion, Coke, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper have announced that they will producing new vending machines which make calorie content available on the button for each drink. The machine will also have more diet and low cal beverages, as well as offer smaller serving sizes. These new machines will appear first in Chicago and San Antonio before being rolled out nationwide. Some people are mocking the, again, parental nature of the machines; rumor has it that a “bad” selection will trigger the machine to question the consumer and suggest a healthier option! However, I think that the problem of obesity is real, and it’s better that the producers of junk food make such changes than the government overstep its bounds and try to control how people eat.

As much as I promote healthy eating in my own lie and encourage others to consider what they are putting in their bodies, I am wholeheartedly against the government telling someone they cannot order a certain serving size. It just goes against the “pursuit of happiness” that lies at the heart of our constitution. Part of what makes the United States so outstanding is our right to personal choice; we can mess up our lives and make all the bad choices we want in pursuit of our pleasures, as long as it does not infringe on any one else’s rights.

By taking an active roll in the fight against obesity and informing consumers, these soda giants are avoiding government over-regulation, and actually empowering consumers with knowledge about the choices that they have the right to make.

I’ve been committed to buying organic produce for several years now, and on average I’ve noticed that I pay almost double for my organic produce. There has been plenty of research foretelling of the dangers of consuming excessive pesticides which we assume to be found on regular produce. But Stanford University released a study which has made me reconsider the necessity of my expensive preference. Study author Dr. Dena Brevata says that overall there is little difference or impact on health for adults whether we consume organic or regular produce.

There are of course, some benefits in choosing organics. For one thing, it’s better for the environment to produce food without using toxic chemicals. The study also showed that antioxidants were richer in organic produce than in that residues in childrens’ urine was 30 percent lower when they switched to organic produce.

To keep costs low and stick with the greener option, I reccommend choosing grocery stores like Sprouts and Trader Joes rather than the pricier Whole Foods. Check out your local farmer’s markets as well, this is a good way to find veggies free from pesticides and support your local growers.

Duke University Researchers have found that about one in four adults with HIV were sexually abused as children. This psychological trauma can be indicative of increased likelihood for HIV/AIDS and faster health decline.

The researchers studied more than 600 patients with HIV, ages 20 to 71, and found that about a quarter of them were indeed abused sexually at a young age.

They also found that about half of the patients experienced three or more traumatic events throughout their lives such as enduring physical abuse, or suffering the loss of a child.

Such traumatic experiences were indicative of worse health-related behaviors including instances of unprotected sex.

One can thus conclude the reasons behind reckless sexual behavior, which can lead to a person contracting HIV.

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A study in the British Medical Journal says that intensive counseling, as well as offering free nicotine patches, does not help smokers quit.
Researchers from the University of Nottingham found that this additional support does not contribute with people giving up on smoking.

They studied more than 2,500 smokers and followed up on them after a year and found no significant results in groups given either intensive counseling or nicotine patches versus groups who didn’t receive those treatments.

The Department of Health in England and the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies funded this study to see if they can improve their services. Because of the lack of positive results, the Department of Health will not offer those services for the NHS Smoking Helpline.

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The Israeli government has passed a law which bans the use of underweight models. Publications will have to specify if the image has been manipulated to make the model appear thinner. Models in Israel are now required to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18.5 percent. They will have to present updated medical records of their weight when applying to jobs. Supporters say the images of underweight models contribute to eating disorders in young girls. In Israel currently, around 2 percent of girls ages 14 to 18 have severe eating disorders. Critics say the focus should be on the model’s health instead of her weight since some are naturally thin.